The present disclosure relates generally to automated coordination between electronic devices and in particular to smoothly and automatically handing off play of a music collection between devices.
Electronic devices have transformed the ease with which individuals can listen to music. Years ago, bulky players and physical media were needed to play recorded songs. Now, songs can be played from mobile devices without use of physical media. Users of these devices can therefore enjoy music as they travel from location to location. However, music play can be interrupted as the device's battery drains or as strength of a network connection weakens.
Many mobile devices can play music such that a user can enjoy songs while moving about. Nevertheless, a mobile device's performance can, in time, degrade as its charge and/or network connection weakens. Further, maintained reliance on the mobile device can cause the user to sacrifice utilizing another music-player device associated with better sound quality (e.g., by being paired with better speakers), social inclusion (e.g., by being paired with speakers instead of headphones) and/or playing stability (e.g., charge). While a user can always choose to actively switch player devices, that itself can cause play interruption during the switch and a play position within an audio collection can be lost.